Robbie Morrison's Photography Bloghttp://robbiemorrison.ca
Landscape, Travel, Outdoor, and Nature PhotographySat, 19 Jan 2019 23:45:18 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.25Fox on a hunthttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=2039
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=2039#commentsSat, 19 Jan 2019 22:22:29 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=2039This beautiful red fox was out hunting near Ottawa in mid January 2019 when I was most fortunate to witness its skills. It’s actually quite astonishing how a fox can locate a mouse or other litter tasty meal under the snow at 25 feet away. I was pretty quiet and sure not to disturb the hungry fox, but it did keep an eye on my friend and I from time to time.

Then at one point it was clear the fox was locking on to its prey beneath the snow

Then all of a sudden, it steps off its front legs and prepares to leap in the air

The fox takes a flying leap

Then a bomb dive into the snow with surgical precision towards its critter

Then a final battle and the critter is toast

Another tasty meal

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=20394The beautiful city of Venice, Italyhttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1984
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1984#commentsWed, 09 Jan 2019 03:44:20 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1984Venice is considered among the the most beautiful cities in the world due to its unusual urban design and artistic heritage. It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Venice is comprised of 118 islands separated by an extensive system of canals within the shallow Venetian Lagoon and linked by 400 bridges. My first visit was in early October 2018 with a small group for a week’s duration.

Getting to Venice

Venice is served by the Venice Marco Polo Airport on the mainland and accessible via train or ferries.

Our group opted for the ferry with its terminal well integrated with the airport. This was my first cool moment since our arrival, just a short 8 minute walk aided by conveyor belts.

The ferry ride is about 40 minutes and transits through the Grand Canal, the largest waterway and feeder. Our group disembarked from the one of the many water stations along the Grand Canal from which we hauled our luggage to our AirBnB in the San Marco district. There are no cars, buses, bicycles, nor skateboarding allowed in Venice, and for good reason, the streets are narrow and pedestrian friendly (save for the hoards of tourists at many times of the year. Fortunately for us, October wasn’t too crazy). The map below gives you an idea of the layout of Venice. Note that Murano is just a short distance away to the northeast.

Getting around

Venice has an effective water based transit system, you can buy a transit card and load it up with cash as need be. The ACTV, a public transport company, has more than 120 floating stations (jetties) and 30 well-connected lines. Another popular waterbus in Venice is the “vaporetto” which has 19 scheduled lines that serve locales within Venice, and travel between Venice and nearby islands, e.g., Murano, Burano, and Lido Island. Alilaguna is the name of the waterbus / ferry service that our group took which services the Venice Marco Polo Airport.

And of course, the Gondolas

Gondolas in Venice are strictly regulated as to their construction, visual branding, and fare structure. This came about to protect the tourists, but also, to prevent one-upmanship among gondola operators. They are very expensive! According to the signs posted, a 40-minute gondola ride should cost 80 euros for a maximum of 6 people. For each additional 20 minutes it costs 40 euros on top of that. Evening gondola rides after 7pm cost 100 euros for 40 minutes and 50 euros for every additional 20 minutes.

Just look out for rush hour!

Commercial & Public Services Access

The canal system is also essential for commerce

And fire protection services

Famous Bridges of Venice

The Rialto Bridge, an architectural icon of Venice, is the oldest of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal.

The Accademia Bridge, among the four bridges that span the Grand Canal, has the best view and is pretty popular at sunset. This bridge links the San Marco district with the Accademia Gallery in Dorsoduro. The 1854 iron bridge was replaced in 1932-33 with this wooden design and replaced in 1986, but to the same plans. My featured photo on top was taken after sunset from this bridge.

Views from the bridge.

View from along the Grand Canal

Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square)

St. Marks’ Square is the main square of Venice as is bounded by Church of St. Mark on the eastern side. On the south side is the Clock Tower. The remaining sides form the long arcades that were once occupied by high officers of state in the days of the republic of Venice in the early 16th century. Shops, offices, and restaurants now occupy these arcades.

Great views from the Clock Tower

Church of St. Mark and to the right is Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace)

Celebration in St. Mark’s Square

During one of our group strolls we happened across what was later confirmed to be the celebrations of the 151th anniversary of the foundation of the Venice Local Police Corps. The Giornale Nord est later reported (Google translation) that; “A solemn ceremony, in the presence of the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, councilor for the local police and urban security Giorgio D’Este, the general commander of the body, Marco Agostini, in which the city’s civil and military authorities took part. Deployed in front of the Basilica di San Marco representatives of each local police department, including the Kuma dog unit, and 64 new agents of the training work group, who this morning publicly swore “loyalty to the Italian Republic, the Constitution and to the laws and to fulfill with discipline and honor all the duties of the office in the interest of the citizens and the Administration for the public good and the local community “.

Below are my photos of this celebration

Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace)

This palace, just east of the Clock Tower from St. Mark’s Square, was home to the supreme authority of the former Venetian Republic.

My group sails away into the sunset on their NCL Norwegian Star cruise ship.

Other views

Venetians are having a tough time managing sustainable tourism and their city is at risk of losing its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Venice has seemingly been loved to death, it is bursting at the seams during peak tourist season and beyond. Below is a sample of the signage to help keep tourists in check.

Guess how many city violations these tourists in the photo below are committing?

Public Works has pre-positioned temporary walkway infrastructure in anticipation of seasonal flooding.

The clothing worn by former plague doctors was intended to protect them from airborne diseases.

Then a big cruise ship passes by

Spa with the help of skin eating fish

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=19842EEL-ectrofishing with the Canadian Wildlife Federationhttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1759
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1759#commentsFri, 05 Oct 2018 21:20:54 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1759One late summer night in August, 2018, I was invited by my friend, Steve Woods, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), to photograph a night of boating on the Ottawa River for a research activity of the local eel population.

I accepted the invitation in a heartbeat and was also keen to take on the challenge of photographing in the dark in a small boat bouncing around on a river.

American Eel numbers have declined by over 99% in their Ontario range from their historical abundances. The number one threat to their decline is barriers along their migration routes. The Canadian Wildlife Federation, in partnership with Carleton University and Energy Ottawa, are tracking the downstream routes eels use when passing through the Chaudiere Falls Generating Station in Ottawa. Tracking of the eels is achieved by catching them upstream from the falls, surgically inserting small transmitters (tags), and monitoring them by way of radio receivers installed around the falls.

Energy Ottawa has gone above and beyond their call of duty and installed a downstream bypass channelfor eels at Chaudiere Falls. This research is testing the effectiveness of the channel. Without the bypass channel, heaps of eggs and potential babies are lost if they get chopped up by the turbines.

I met Steve and the two biology students at the Shirleys Bay Boat Launch at 9pm. After loading the boat and blinding them with my flash we were ready to catch some eels. The boat looks like a spaceship but is uniquely adapted for electrofishing. For the electrical enthusiasts, the boat and the metal spaghetti strands dipping into the water are the cathode, and the booms that look like inverted metal umbrellas are the anodes.

With electrofishing, any fish about 10 feet from the boatwill swim towards the anode where they can be caught with insulated dipnets ready at the bow. It sounds mean to say that you electrocute fish to catch them, but don’t worry, when done properly, the fish don’t get hurt; it only stuns them for about 30 seconds! Electrofishing is the most effective way to sample a large area., You can cover large stretches of the river (>5 km) in one night using electrofishing.

Below, Steve attaches an anode to the insulated boom before the boat is launched.

Steve readies the control box from which the electric current is applied between the cathode and the anode.

Look how awesome the boat looks with the fixed electrode arrays hanging down from the bow, and the 2 deployable anodes on their insulated booms.

Once we were all onboard, the 2 anodes were deployed and tested with the control box. Steve enters information for the log and sends a text message off to his safety contact at CWF to confirm the night’s launch.

Steve adjusts the intensity of the electricity here to make sure the amps are at the right level.

Netters at the helm waiting for their eel.

Eels are endangered in Ontario which makes them a tricky study subject. And because biologists don’t see many eels over the course of the summer, they grow attached to the ones they find and name them. Below, Cassy with Murieel (Steve reely hated that name and tried to get me to change it to a name he liked more (Racheel), but I wanted to preserve the authenticity of the night!)

Bringing the eel back to shore for surgery.

Checking to see if they caught the eel before. They put electronic tags (PIT tags) in each one they catch, and can tell if they have caught it before. It’s the same kind of tag that dogs get when they are microchipped.

Recording catch location and other data like tag numbers while we wait for the eel to go under.

Making solutions to sterilize the surgical tools.

This tag is surgically inserted into the eel. The tag sends out a ping every few seconds. The pings are picked up by receivers that are set up all around the dam. The receivers are all triangulated so they can tell the exact path that the eel takes when going over the dam. They also have receivers downstream up to Petrie Island area. If they get picked up all the way out there, they assume they survived.

Measuring the length of Murieel.

Taking a sample for future DNA analysis.

Taking head width measurements. Steve also took head height and pectoral fin lengths.

This is a head height measurement. Measurements are basically to see at what size do eels start to head back to the sea to breed.

Steve is writing out a card with the eel ID so he can take a picture of her to measure her eye later using software on a computer. It’s part of the body measurements to see when they move out.

Team work makes the dream work! They all collaborated to take a weight of her!

Giving her fresh, oxygenated water to wake her up after the surgery.

Pretty happy with the success for the night and driving her back to where we caught her.

A very quick photo op before releasing Murieel at the catch location.

Many thanks to Steve Woods for extending me this great opportunity to photograph and blog on this important research activity.

To check out the other conservation work the Canadian Wildlife Federation is doing be sure to check out their website and blog.

_________________

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]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=17592The 12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australiahttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1875
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1875#commentsWed, 26 Sep 2018 15:58:21 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1875A highlight of my August, 2018, trip to Melbourne, Australia, was a day bus tour along the Great Ocean Road and seeing the 12 Apostles. The 243-kilometre Great Ocean Road is listed as an Australian National Heritage site and winds along the south-eastern coast of Australia. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and is the world’s largest war memorial dedicated to soldiers killed in World War I.

Along the Great Ocean Road you can view the spectacular 12 Apostles limestone stack formations

Not far from the 12 Apostles I viewed the entrance to Loch Ard Gorge named after the clipper ship which ran aground nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June, 1878. The ship was nearing the end of its three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Only two survived of the fifty four passengers and crew.

Another view of the entrance to Loch Ard Gorge

Loch Ard Gorge

Our bus stopped along the way to view wild koala bears

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=18750The Winter Night Market at Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne, Australiahttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1805
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1805#commentsWed, 26 Sep 2018 01:58:43 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1805During my trip to Melbourne in mid August, 2018, I had lots of fun photographing and partaking in the Winter Night Market (opens every Wednesday night) within the grounds of the Queen Victoria Market. It was very festive, alive with smells, sounds, and tastes. I highly recommend that you go if you find yourself in Melbourne during an Australian winter.

A very large number of people showed up with wireless headphones on, singing and dancing to the music. This was my first time to witness a Silent Disco! It looked like so much fun, I wanted my own headphones Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to nothing.

The Silent Disco leader strikes a pose and leads the group again throughout the market.

Movin’ ‘n’ groovin with the Silent Disco

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=18050Landmarks of Sydney, Australiahttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1787
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1787#commentsSat, 15 Sep 2018 18:35:56 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1787I had visited Sydney when I was with the Canadian Navy back in November 1986 when we joined in to celebrate the Royal Australian Navy’s 75th anniversary. I didn’t have much time ashore so I was happy to visit again, this time on my own, in July 2018, for 15 days. I stayed at an AirBnB (within the circle in the map below), and was within walking distance to many of Sydney’s famous landmarks. As I only travel with carry-on, I bought a tripod that collapsed to 17″, a perfect fit for my travels (principally used for night photography). Below are my best photos taken of various Sydney landmarks, in addition to the photos in my two blogs; Bondi to Coogee Beach Coastal Walk and a day trip to the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia.

Sydney Harbour Views

The first two photos were taken from Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

View from the Sydney Observatoty

The following 2 photos were taken from the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon, a 200 stair climb inside the South-East Pylon to the Pylon Lookout for sweeping views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour surrounds.

One can also take the $250 Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. You can see some of the climbers below.

These two sunset photos were taken around the Milsons Point area (as was the feature image up top).

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

View towards the Garden and the Central Business District

Darling Harbour

Hyde Park

Hyde Park is a 40 acre park located in Sydney’s Central Business District.

Winter Celebration near St. Mary’s Cathedral

It’s actually not that cold in Sydney during winter, average high of 18c, average low of 8c. When I was there, it got up to 22c, with only 10% of the seasonal rainfall (a bit dry).

Central Business District

Artisan at Pitt Street Mall, Sydney

View of the Sydney Tower from the Pitt Street Mall. The Sydney Tower is Sydney’s tallest structure and the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere.

Ten second exposure of downtown Sydney from the Art Gallery Road over M1.

Kings Cross

The train corridor close to Kings Cross Station, 2 kilometers from the Central Business District

Kings Cross, which is bounded by the suburbs of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, and Darlinghurst. My AirBnB was about a 2 minutes walk south on Darlinghurst.

View towards the Central Business District from Kings Cross

The El Alamein Fountain was commissioned as a memorial to soldiers who died in 1942 during World War II in two battles at El Alamein, Egypt. It looks different from many angles and sides. The fountain is located at the entrance to the Fitzroy Gardens on the corner of Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street.

2000 Sydney Olympic Games Village

For the Olympic Games of the new millennium Sydney built what was then one of the largest athlete villages ever constructed. Below is the former Olympic torch.

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=17870A day trip to the Blue Moutains, NSW, Australiahttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1710
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1710#commentsTue, 31 Jul 2018 02:40:05 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1710For the last day of my 15 day trip to Sydney, Australia in May 2018, I spent a full day’s journey to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales (NSW).

The climate varies with elevation. At Katoomba, (1,010 m or 3,314 ft) the summer average maximum temperature is around 22 °C with a few days extending into the 30s (80s–90s °F) although it is quite common to see maximum temperatures stay in the teens when east coast troughs persist. Night-time temperatures are usually in the teens but can drop to single figures at times. During winter, the temperature is typically around 10 to 11 °C in the daytime with −1 °C or so on clear nights and 3 to 4 °C on cloudy nights.

It was a pleasant trip, was easily accessible by way of a 2 1/2 hour train ride to Katoomba, but I made a stop first at the quaint village of Leura for breakfast (the train station before Katoomba).

Once the train arrived in Katoomba, I caught a local bus to Scenic World, providing me a good sampling of the Blue Mountains. Several options were available to get around Scenic World park; scenic railway, scenic skyway, scenic cableway, and scenic walkways. I first took a dirt path a ways down the escarpment to view Katoomba Falls.

ACCORDING TO GUNDUNGURRA DREAMING, three beautiful sisters named Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo once lived with the Gundungurra people in the Jamison Valley. The maidens were in love with three brothers from the neighbouring nation of the Dharruk people, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law.

The brothers were warriors and decided to take the maidens by force. Tribal war forced the Kuradjuri (clever man) of the Gundungurra people to turn the sisters into stone. He intended to restore them after the danger had passed and the war had ended. Unfortunately, the Kuradjuri (clever man) was killed in the battle and to this day nobody has been able to break the spell and turn the Three Sisters back to their natural form.

I trekked back up to the Scenic World centre and caught the scenic railway down the escarpment to a series of connecting scenic walkways

The railway is the world’s steepest passenger railway in the world.

Once below the escarpment one can enjoy the peaceful Jurassic rainforest on the Jamison Valley floor with minimal impact on the environment by way of the 2.4 km scenic walkway. Signs were warning people not to wander off the walkways at risk of the poisonous leaches.

I caught the next bus back to Katoomba, passed by the colourful macramed trees and rest bench, then hopped on the train for Sydney to finish up my long day.

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=17100Bondi to Coogee Beach Coastal Walk (Sydney, Australia)http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1673
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1673#commentsMon, 30 Jul 2018 23:40:29 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1673The 6 km Bondi to Coogee walk is likely the most famous coastal trail in Sydney, New South Wales. I started my trek one early July 2018 morning after having taken a 10 minute Sydney city train to Bondi Junction and then a 15 minute bus ride to Bondi Beach. I was well prepared, with sunglasses, SPF 30, hat, and a bottle of water. I took a leisurely stroll which took me about 3 hours to complete.

At the end of the coastal trail I hung out at Coogee Beach, had lunch, and captured players from the Coogee Beach Volleyball Association

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=16730The Medieval Town of Toruń, Polandhttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1560
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1560#commentsSun, 29 Jul 2018 19:29:48 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1560After a hectic two days in Gdansk, my northern Poland journey continued on Friday morning, May 24, 2018, to the Medieval Town of Torun. The Torun Miasto train station was only a short walk to my hotel just outside the old town, a great location for my two day stay and my last stop before returning to Warsaw. These two days were taken at a more relaxed pace, no side trips.

The medieval town of Torun is the oldest historic district of the city of Toruń. It is one of World Heritage Sites in Poland (added in 1997). According to UNESCO, its value lies in its being “a small historic trading city that preserves to a remarkable extent its original street pattern and outstanding early buildings, and which provides an exceptionally complete picture of the medieval way of life”. The Medieval Town has an area of 60 ha and a buffer zone of 300 ha. It is composed of the Toruń Old Town, Toruń New Town, and the Toruń Castle.

The Medieval Town was established on the site of a former Slavic trading town that had existed for around 500 yearsand dates to the 13th century, when the city of Toruń (Thorn) was granted a town charter by the Teutonic KnightsHermann von Salza and Hermann Balk in 1233. The town, initially composed primarily of the district now known as the Toruń Old Town and the Toruń Castle, developed as a major commercial center, and was one of the key members of the Hanseatic League. The town quickly grew, the Toruń New Town developed from 1264 east of the Old Town and north of the castle.

The Leaning Tower of Torun has its top displaced 1.5 metres from where it would be if the tower were perfectly vertical. One can attempt to lean against the tower at its base without falling forward, but not possible (at least not for me). Note the medieval play toys held by the children, sold by tourist shops, a likely nightmare for parents.

The Old Townhall in Torun is one of the largest brick buildings of that kind in Europe and the most important historical monument within the Old Town of Torun. The Town Hall was erected in the Gothic style at the end of the 14th century incorporating in its structure a tower which had been built over a century before.

A climb up the Old Townhall Tower offers a spectacular view from the top

The Torun Castle Ruins show what’s left of the 13th- or 14th-century castle of the Teutonic Order.

]]>http://robbiemorrison.ca/?feed=rss2&p=15600The bubble busker lady in Toruń, Polandhttp://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1574
http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1574#commentsSat, 28 Jul 2018 21:34:44 +0000http://robbiemorrison.ca/?p=1574A highlight of my 11 day trip to northern Poland in May 2018 was my 2 day stay in the medieval town of Torun. One late afternoon I was presented with a fun and challenging photo opportunity. Next to the Old Townhall a lady, accompanied by her two children, started bubble buskering much to the delight of the passing children (and to he amusement of their parents) that got drawn into the activity. Below are my favourite photos taken on that day.